In a sudden development and at a crucial juncture of call money investigation, senior IPS officer and Vijayawada Police commissioner Damodar Goutam Sawang is said to have been sent on a long leave for 10 days.
Sawang, who assumed office as commissioner on August 3, unearthed the Call Money racket and the political leaders acting as patrons of the racket. For the past three days names of many important TDP leaders, including some MLAs and MLCs, are being talked about as the promoters of Call Money business, in which they lend money to the women at exorbitant rates and demand them trade sex in case they default the loans. Sawang earned kudos from all sections of society for courageously exposing the ring which embarrassed the ruling establishment. The racket, which created sensation across the nation, came to light at a time when the Andhra Pradesh Assembly scheduled to sit for winter session later this week. The issue is going to rock the House as already the Opposition leader Jaganmohan Reddy has already demanded an inquiry by a sitting High Court Judge.
Known for his uprightness, the 1986 batch IPS officer has applied for a long leave from the government and which is said to have been sanctioned. Meanwhile, DGP J Venkata Ramudu dismissed any link between the leave and the Call Money racket investigation. ” He had applied for leave a month ago and now it is sanctioned,” the DGP said. Government has appointed Surendra Babu of 1987 as the commissioner in-charge of Vijayawada. Insiders in the government said Sawang had applied for the leave yesterday and it was approved within hours.
Approving the leave letter of Sawang is the first action by the DGP after chief minister Naidu instructed official to act strictly on those involved in the racket howsoever big they were. An irony of sorts. Meanwhile, C Ramachandraiah, opposition leader in AP Legislative Council, demanded a CBI inquiry into the racket.
“Chief minister Chandrababu Naidu and his son Lokesh Naidu are running a mafia raj in Vijayawada whose members are involved in all sorts of mafia activities. Police Commissioner Sawang was forced to go on leave as the ruling party exerted tremendous pressure on Goutam Sawang as it felt that bailing out TDP leaders from racket would not be possible if Sawang remained there ,” Ramachandraiah said accompanied by party general secretary Jagan Gowtham. They said Naidu had become a prisoner in the hands of criminals of Vijayawada.
“As Call Money racket appears to have political patronage, an inquiry by CBI alone could bring forth the real culprits involved in the heinous crime,” he said. He also demanded that the session duration be extended to 10 days as many serious issues had cropped up in the past ten days such as Bauxite, adulterated liquor, call money etc.